Ross Brawn could retire from Formula One at the end of this season

End of the road: Ross Brawn could pull the curtain on his successful career (Image: Mark Thompson)

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Grand Prix legend Ross Brawn could retire at the end of the season.

Mercedes F1 chairman Niki Lauda admitted the 58-year-old designer ’s future at the team is in the balance and it is “50-50” whether he stays.

Lewis Hamilton pleaded with Brawn to stay and Mercedes agreed to his demand to remain as the technical No.1, despite the arrival of Paddy Lowe from McLaren.

After talks were concluded at the Japanese Grand Prix at the weekend, Lauda and Brawn agreed to talk again at the end of the season. “It’s down to him now,” said Lauda. “I’d say it’s 50-50.

“We have had some small problems in the team in the past but everything is sorted now. It’s all agreed between him and Paddy and everyone else. He’s No.1. I have tried to persuade him to stay. I want him to stay. We will talk again at the end of the season.”

Leading Mercedes sources have told Mirror Sport that retirement is a possibility.

Initially it had been thought Lowe had been bought in by their new racing boss Toto Wolff to run the technical department.

Brawn threatened to quit if his fellow Englishman was put in charge but since then the two sides have found an accommodation. Brawn has remained the team’s front man, with Lowe working in the background but increasingly in evidence at races.

In the last few weeks Brawn, who missed last year’s Spanish Grand Prix for health checks, has been linked with both McLaren and Williams.

But on Saturday, McLaren added to his denial that he was never in talks with them.

And they revealed on Friday they have signed Adrian Newey’s right-hand man at Red Bull, Peter Prodromou.

Brawn had a health scare last year caused by an irregular heartbeat but returned to Formula 1 shortly afterwards, declaring there were “no long lasting worries”.

Brawn is one of the most prolific F1 designers of the current era, winning world championships with some of the sport’s greatest names. In the modern era, only Newey, the man behind the dominant Red Bulls, can match his achievements.

Brawn cars have won more than 100 Grands Prix and 16 constructors and drivers world championships, including five years of superiority with Ferrari and Michael Schumacher.

Then he moved to Honda, bought the team, won the 2009 world title with Jenson Button and sold the operation to Mercedes, taking his fortune beyond £100million.